Motherless Daughters MinistryWithin these blogs are stories that will connect you on all levels of mother loss. Regardless of how you became motherless, someone has written their story to share and connect with you. Dig into these blogs and find the words you need to hear. Let these words speak directly into your soul. Let these words connect with you. Let these words affirm that you are not alone in your mother loss journey.
Is Mother's Day Difficult for You?
Mershon Niesner | May 7, 2022
Join one of our blog writers and her friend who is another motherless daughter & author as they share stories . . . Read More
Sudden Loss, Anticipated Loss, and Non-death Loss: What’s the Difference?
Mary Ellen Collins | March 9, 2022
Mother loss binds us all together. Mother loss is the commonality but there are differences. There is no one loss . . . Read More
What Really Happens Inside a Motherless Daughters Class?
Maya | April 18, 2021
Can 6 Weeks Really Make A Difference? I felt like I was holding in a lifetime of pain, a dark . . . Read More
Sharing stories of a Mother's last words
Mershon Niesner | January 24, 2021
On the morning I learned that my thirty-four-year-old mother had died, May 24, 1954, my dad also shared with me her . . . Read More
December 27, 2020
By Maya (Guest writer) Adopted twice. Still motherless. I’ve felt the agony of not knowing who I was. Of not . . . Read More
December 13, 2020
by Maya (Guest writer) Growing up, my adoptive mom believed you should never pick up a crying baby. The thought . . . Read More
The Healing Power of Friendship
November 22, 2020
by Dottie Menkhaus On the anniversary of my mother’s death, Ann* came over to teach me how to cook. We . . . Read More
November 1, 2020
by Dottie Menkhaus We all tend to live our lives never knowing how we impact and influence others around us. . . . Read More
Danielle Ilacqua | August 23, 2020
Patience doesn’t just land on your lap because you pray for it. God allows a situation to manifest in your . . . Read More
Dottie Menkhaus | July 19, 2020
Living through the coronavirus pandemic among pieces of our shattered world has been difficult and exhausting. I have often struggled . . . Read More
Dottie Menkhaus | June 28, 2020
One day, a small lump appeared in the middle of the living room carpet. It was about the size of . . . Read More
10 Things I Am Doing To Occupy Myself During My Self-Quarantine
Mary Ellen Collins | April 5, 2020
I am hunkering down. When I heard that the elderly were in the high risk group (elderly being 60+) I . . . Read More
March 22, 2020
by Dottie Menkhaus During this time of global crisis of the Corona virus pandemic, it feels like the world is . . . Read More
February 23, 2020
by Dottie Menkhaus My mother passed away when I was 16, and consequently she has missed all of my achievements . . . Read More
December 23, 2019
by Dottie Menkhaus The holiday season is a time to gather together family and friends. It is a joyous time . . . Read More
December 1, 2019
by Dottie Menkhaus Few things are more heart-wrenching than saying that last goodbye to a loved one. My last goodbye . . . Read More
The Stories My Mom Shared With Me
November 24, 2019
by Julie Thompson My mom retired after 35 years of being an elementary teacher. As she was ending her teaching . . . Read More
October 20, 2019
Fifty-five years. Double nickels. This event fifty-five years ago set me on the course to my destination, the Motherless Daughters . . . Read More
Marisa Saenz | September 1, 2019
What happens to you when life takes a turn for the worse? I, personally, get emotional. Most of the time, . . . Read More
Dottie Menkhaus | August 25, 2019
Occasionally I will take a moment and stare at myself in a mirror and smile. It has nothing to do . . . Read More
June 10, 2019
By Dottie Jo Menkhaus In my journey as a motherless daughter, I have battled the fear of loss many times. . . . Read More
June 2, 2019
By Dottie Menkhaus Certain days of the year— such as birthdays, anniversaries, and Mother’s Day—are difficult after the loss of . . . Read More
The Voice That I Miss The Most
March 31, 2019
By: Julie Thompson It’s been 10 years since I’ve heard her voice. A voice that consistently spoke words of love . . . Read More
March 3, 2019
By: Beth Corbley (Guest Blogger) “I MADE MY FAVORITE THING FOR DINNER TONIGHT … A RESERVATION.” SALLY ANN CORBLEY, AKA, . . . Read More
December 9, 2018
By: Cathy DiBella To all my Motherless Daughters Ministry sisters, As we enter the Christmas season once again, I wanted . . . Read More
October 28, 2018
By: Heather Wolper My doorbell rang on Friday. I had sick kids at home and I was still wearing the . . . Read More
October 7, 2018
By: Julie Thompson You were there at the beginning from my very first breath when my eyes opened to see . . . Read More
When Life is Hard and Your Mom is Gone
July 8, 2018
By: Heather Wolper My mom has been gone almost 20 years now. It’s been almost half of my lifetime. I . . . Read More
June 17, 2018
By: Heather Wolper This has been a year of faith stretching, a year of wandering in the wilderness, a year . . . Read More
May 9, 2018
By: Mary Ellen Collins GET READY… Here is comes again! 18 ways to get through Mother’s Day! Here it comes again, . . . Read More
April 8, 2018
By: Heather Wolper This week I’ve felt the weight of disappointment tugging like a toddler eager for my attention, standing . . . Read More
March 4, 2018
By: Danielle Ilacqua (Guest Blogger) Last year at 1:17 a.m., instead of surfing social media, I sat in a hospital watching . . . Read More
Finding Hope In Seasons of Waiting
January 28, 2018
By: Heather Wolper Are you in a season of waiting? We’ve all been there. Between us, we’ve waited for jobs, . . . Read More
Your Age of Mother Loss And Its Effects
December 27, 2017
Over the years, the Motherless Daughters Ministry has supported thousands of women on their mother loss journeys. Although our stories . . . Read More
December 3, 2017
By: Heather Wolper The other day I sat at a red light on my way to the grocery store. As . . . Read More
The Day Our Family Experienced A Miracle
November 5, 2017
By: Heather Wolper Last Saturday, after cartoons and breakfast around our kitchen island, my husband found our sweet, ornery, six-year-old . . . Read More
October 8, 2017
By: Heather Wolper Sometimes life hits like a flood, covering land that was fertile and green with deep muddy water. . . . Read More
October 1, 2017
By: Amanda Loduca (Guest Blogger) Everyone who’s lost a mother has a different story to tell. Many are quick to . . . Read More
Heather Wolper | September 3, 2017
Summer, with all its lazy wonder and time spent creek wading and cannonballing, is over. And here we are trying . . . Read More
Mary Ellen Collins | August 27, 2017
I have a friend named Kim who just celebrated her 52nd birthday. She is happy and she is scared. This . . . Read More
July 30, 2017
By: Danielle Ilacqua (Guest Blogger) I have found that after a life altering experience, a game changer so to speak, . . . Read More
July 16, 2017
By: Christine Fishel My mom received a definitive diagnosis last week. My sister drove us the two-hour drive to mom’s appointment . . . Read More
What's Your Chicken Noodle Soup?
July 2, 2017
By: Danielle Ilacqua (Guest Blogger) I stood in front of the freezer and had another meltdown. The tears streamed down . . . Read More
If You're Losing Your Mom To Dementia...
June 18, 2017
By: Christine Fishel If you are losing your mother to the horror of dementia, let me recommend a book I . . . Read More
Heather Wolper | June 11, 2017
When my mom was sick, dear friends offered our family an escape from the harsh reality of cancer by the . . . Read More
June 4, 2017
By: Danielle Ilacqua (Guest Blogger) Feeling like I have the scarlet letter “G” on my chest, I push forward in this . . . Read More
May 11, 2017
By: Danielle Ilacqua (Guest Blogger) As Mother’s Day approaches and I see hundreds of commercials for flowers or cards, I just shrink . . . Read More
What Do You Do When God Says, "No?"
May 7, 2017
By: Danielle Ilacqua (Guest Blogger) Let’s face it, none of us are going to get out of this life alive. . . . Read More
March 29, 2017
By: Heather Wolper Today, I pulled my mother’s steel soup kettle from deep within my kitchen cabinets and prepared to . . . Read More
February 26, 2017
By: Mary Ellen Collins “People become great when they commit to something bigger than themselves” ~ Rick Warren I consider Rick . . . Read More
February 8, 2017
By: Heather Wolper This morning as I was upstairs making my bed, I heard cries from downstairs, “Oh, No!! Mom! . . . Read More
January 8, 2017
By: Heather Wolper “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18 These . . . Read More
December 28, 2016
By: Heather Wolper (Guest Blogger) As another year draws to a close, I pause. Another 12 months have come and . . . Read More
The 60's: Losing a Mother and Losing a Child
December 21, 2016
By: Mary Ellen Collins When a 60’s woman loses her mother, we see this as a normal life transition. “After . . . Read More
Mother Loss - The 50's: A Time of Transition, Change, and Loss
November 20, 2016
By: Mary Ellen Collins During the 50’s, the key words for women to embrace are transition and change. Everything in her . . . Read More
November 13, 2016
By: Heather Wolper (Guest Blogger) A picture of my parents sits on a table in our entry hall among family . . . Read More
Mother Loss and Age of Emotional Development: The 40's – Loneliness, Regret, Loss of Identity
October 23, 2016
By: Mary Ellen Collins Women who have experienced mother loss in the 40’s have often expressed emotions connected to the . . . Read More
October 16, 2016
By: Heather Wolper (Guest Blogger) I am in dark, choppy water and I can’t feel the bottom or see the shore. . . . Read More
Mother Loss in the 30's - Guilt & Regret
Mary Ellen Collins | September 25, 2016
I apologize for the gap in writing about mother loss and stage of emotional development. I am back from a . . . Read More
August 28, 2016
By: Kris Fisher Last night, my friend lost her mom. She held a vigil at her mother’s bedside for 9 . . . Read More
What It Means to Travel Through Grief
August 24, 2016
By: Amanda Black (Guest Blogger) It’s been two and half months since I left home after my mom died. I . . . Read More
August 21, 2016
By: Heather Wolper (Guest Blogger) Every year I grieve a bit as Summer comes to a close. I grieve the . . . Read More
August 10, 2016
By: Kris Fisher I feel like I finally have a relationship with my mother and now I’m losing her. Already. Again. . . . Read More
July 10, 2016
By: Heather Wolper (Guest Blogger) Last night as I left the grocery, holding a sleeping baby in one arm and pushing . . . Read More
Stages of Emotional Development & Age of Loss: 20's
May 15, 2016
By: Mary Ellen Collins “I felt like a ship set adrift, lost, without a way to steer and I could . . . Read More
May 11, 2016
By: Christine Fishel It’s been five yeas since Janet lost her mom. She remembers the date each year, just as . . . Read More
18 Ways to Get Through Mother's Day
May 4, 2016
By: Mary Ellen Collins GET READY… Here is comes again! 18 ways to get through Mother’s Day! Here it comes . . . Read More
April 24, 2016
By: Mary Ellen Collins “Growing up is hard to do,” but that doesn’t really begin to capture the struggle many . . . Read More
Stages of Emotional Development and Age of Loss: 13-18 year olds
March 28, 2016
By: Mary Ellen Collins “Who AM I?” “How Do I Fit?” During adolescence the transition from childhood to adulthood is . . . Read More
Stages of Emotional Development and Age of Loss: 6-12 year olds
Mary Ellen Collins | March 9, 2016
We introduced you to the Stages of Emotional Development and Mother loss in an earlier blog . Basically, the concept is: . . . Read More
Mary Ellen Collins | February 17, 2016
We introduced you to the Stages of Emotional Development and Mother loss in an earlier blog. Basically, the concept is: . . . Read More
The Age of Mother Loss and Stages of Emotional Development
Mary Ellen Collins | January 21, 2016
In the Motherless Daughters Journey class, we facilitate an exercise called “What was it like?” The goal of the exercise . . . Read More
Julie Thompson | December 13, 2015
For some people, the perfect night involves getting all dressed up and then going out to a party. For me, . . . Read More
Cindy Stepanek | November 16, 2015
I have often written about my mom’s emotional absence, but this is the time of year she turned into the . . . Read More
October 25, 2015
By: Mary Ellen Collins My friend Missy has twin boys — Andrew and Emmett. Both are precious with very different . . . Read More
I am a Motherless Daughter: Living Mother
Anonymous | September 30, 2015
I am a motherless daughter, but it’s hard for me to define myself this way. Maybe mothered-less is a better . . . Read More
I am a Motherless Daughter: Double Loss
Cindy Stepanek | September 27, 2015
I am a motherless daughter; my story is of a double loss. I physically lost my mom to poorly . . . Read More
I am a Motherless Daughter: Early Loss
Mary Ellen Collins | September 23, 2015
I am a motherless daughter. I lost my mother to breast cancer back in the 1960’s. Her loss is engraved . . . Read More
September 20, 2015
By: Mary Ellen Collins When I talk about the Motherless Daughters Ministry, people often ask who is a motherless daughter? . . . Read More
Cindy Stepanek | May 8, 2015
Mother’s Day has always been a conundrum for me. Growing up, my relationship with my mom was always a bit . . . Read More